Hannah Dolby – She Reads Novels

I added to this to my TBR last year after some reviews of the sequel, How to Solve Murders Like a Lady, caught my eye. I always prefer to start at the beginning if possible, so decided to read this one first – and I’m pleased to say I loved it and will be moving on to the second book soon!

The novel is set in Hastings in 1896 and introduces us to Violet Hamilton who, at twenty-eight and still unmarried, looks like becoming an ‘old maid’. She’s not interested in any suitor her father pushes into her path and has more important things on her mind – like finding out what happened to her mother, who disappeared from Hastings Pier ten years earlier. Violet decides to hire a private detective, Frank Knight, but his methods and attitude leave a lot to be desired. As Benjamin Blackthorn, the town’s only other detective, insists that he has given up sleuthing and is happy selling furniture instead, Violet feels she has no choice other than to take matters into her own hands and try to investigate herself.

Violet’s story is told with a lot of warmth and humour. She’s a very likeable heroine: intelligent and resourceful, but also endearingly naïve and innocent, which can lead to some amusing situations and misunderstandings. There’s also some sadness, as the disappearance of her mother all those years ago has clearly had a huge impact on her life and she feels that no one else, not even her father, cares about trying to discover the truth. The mystery element of the novel reaches a climax with some dramatic scenes towards the end, but for the most part I would describe this as a gentle, charming book.

I loved watching Violet’s relationship with Mr Blackthorn develop, as she persists in trying to persuade him to take on her case and he continues trying to refuse. Eventually she convinces him to let her begin working for him as a typist, certain that once she’s established herself in his furniture shop he won’t be able to resist getting involved in the investigation. I found it easy to predict what was going to happen there, but I didn’t mind as I liked Benjamin as much as I liked Violet! It’s interesting, though, that at first Violet is sure she needs a man to do the detecting for her, but as the book progresses it begins to occur to her that maybe she has what it takes to become a Lady Detective in her own right.

If you’re looking for an entertaining read with a mixture of mystery, romance and comedy, I can’t recommend this book highly enough. I thought it had a similar feel to AJ Pearce’s Dear Mrs Bird, so if you enjoyed that book maybe you would enjoy this one too. I’m looking forward to reading the sequel!